Dissertation Camp.

Your faithful blogger is under the weather it seems.  I guess the cross-country drive finally caught up with me.  (And the late nights, and too much wine, and the frenetic writing schedule...ah hem...)

Week's roundup:

-My friend Christopher is part of a dissertation-writing mini-club (which is nothing like a mini-vacay, sadly) that meets at various coffee shops and writing nooks in the general campus area.  Usually it's three or so history folk around a table.  I shunned it at first.  Then I joined one day.  And I worked.  Because it turns out that having someone across the table from you kind of holding you accountable...makes you work.  Brilliant, huh.  (I bet Christopher didn't appreciate me suggesting, from across the table, that he moisturize his dry skin...but you know, that's what friends/writing colleagues are for.)

-Baking genius-turned-entrepreneur Jessica Rothacker, who I am lucky to call a friend, is in the last stages of opening her farm-to-table cafe here in Athens (called Heirloom).  She and her husband Jordan (who is also working his ass off, to note) gave me a tour of the place yesterday afternoon, plus fed me impromptu shrimp and grits in the brand new kitchen.  It's coming together beautifully, and they should be ready to open in about two weeks. It's the refurbished (oh, and how so!) Amoco station on Chase Street.  Jessica's plan is to serve exclusively local and regional fare--the meat, the vegetables, the fruit...everything will be what's fresh (and you can get your drink on, too--I was sitting around with them yesterday while they worked on the beer list).  Athenians, watch out for the open sign!

-My syllabus for the summer is available at: http://uga.edu/history/_syllabi/HIST_3090_reedl_0511.pdf

Check it out if you're at all interested in what my eighteen students and I will be conversing about on these hot summer afternoons.  Speaking of that...yeah, it's gross.  I forgot how much humidity hates me and my hair.

-Maybe, just maybe, I had a teensy emotional breakdown because I miss my family, and because there's so much going on.  Maybe I did.  And maybe some amazing friends held me up and made sure I didn't stumble.

This morning I'm chugging orange juice, popping Dayquil, and attempting to finally have at least one day within which I'm not constantly moving.  Amen, amen.